The Importance of Early Learning
Building Pathways to Success
Early childhood–from pregnancy to age five–is the most important developmental period in a person's life, and research shows that third-grade reading and math proficiency are telling indicators of future academic success. You can draw a meaningful line between early childhood development, school-age student outcomes, and future income. Pre-K enrollment, kindergarten readiness, and third-grade literacy and math are crucial waypoints on the pathway to success.
Pre-K Enrollment
90% of a child’s brain is formed by age 5, and children without access to high-quality pre-K can enter kindergarten 9-18 months behind their peers. Inversely, Texas children who attend pre-K are 1.7 times more likely to be ready to enter kindergarten, and quality pre-K programming has been shown to close achievement gaps for low-income students and students of color. Studies show that for every $1 invested in early childhood development, a community saves $7 in long-term costs such as educational remediation, criminal justice, and welfare.
Kindergarten Readiness
Kindergarten readiness is defined as the percentage of students that qualify as “ready” based on an individual school district’s assessment and the state of Texas’ cut score. Though indicators often differ across school districts and states, this measure is closely linked to future academic achievement and life success. Kindergarten literacy levels predict reading ability throughout a child’s educational career.
3rd-Grade Literacy and Math
If children are behind by third grade, they generally stay behind throughout their education. A report released by Texas 2036 found that 93% of students who are not on grade level in third grade are still not on grade level by fifth grade, and one longitudinal study found that students who do not read at grade level by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school than proficient readers.
Investing in equitable early learning is vital to ensuring every student of every race, socioeconomic status, language, and ability is prepared to achieve their boldest dreams!
How Can I Tell How My District Is Doing?
At a Glance Dashboard - Review pre-K enrollment, kindergarten readiness, first, second, and third-grade academic performance.
Pre-K Enrollment - Review pre-K enrollment by district.
Kindergarten Ready Students by Demographic and Pre-K Attendance - Review and compare disaggregated kindergarten readiness with pre-K enrollment data.
Best Practices to Improve Third-Grade Outcomes
Enroll all eligible three and four-year-olds in high-quality pre-K.
Adopt GPMs for third-grade literacy and math that include benchmarks at different grade levels.
Utilize high-quality instructional materials for all early grades.
Want to learn more?
Go deeper into third-grade readiness, including information on best practices, legal policy, and data resources.
To learn more about the importance of early literacy to long-term student outcomes, check out our recent ask-the-experts blog post.